ND urged to investigate allegation against McBrien

Catholic group cites similarities between columns by priest, Boston Globe.

Catholic group cites similarities between columns by priest, Boston Globe.

January 24, 2006|MARGARET FOSMOE Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Citing similarities in content, a conservative Catholic group is accusing a University of Notre Dame theologian of possibly plagiarizing articles in the Boston Globe. The Cardinal Newman Society, which promotes conservative teaching and faculty at Catholic colleges, wrote a Jan. 19 letter to the Rev. John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame's president, requesting the university investigate a recent column by the Rev. Richard McBrien. McBrien is a Catholic priest and a theology professor. The group says a syndicated column McBrien wrote this month about conservative protests at a Dec. 9 Catholic Charities Boston fundraising dinner honoring Mayor Thomas M. Menino was similar to Boston Globe coverage of the event, including a Dec. 11 piece by Globe columnist Eileen McNamara. McBrien's syndicated column ran this month in The Tidings, the newspaper of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, and other Catholic newspapers. "We trust that Notre Dame has very strong principles when it comes to academic freedom and academic honesty. We trust this will be taken seriously," said Patrick J. Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society, in a phone interview Monday from his office in Manassas, Va. "Notre Dame takes any allegation of plagiarism seriously and has procedures in place for investigating such charges in a confidential manner," university spokesman Dennis Brown said. "Although their allegation is baseless, I welcome the fact that the university is reviewing it in accordance with its standard procedures," McBrien said Monday. McBrien's column included a reference to Globe coverage of the dinner. The priest said he read some of the coverage of the event, including McNamara's column, before he wrote his column. In retrospect, the priest said, he wishes he had specifically cited Eileen McNamara's column. McBrien, a widely published author and columnist, said he never has been accused of plagiarism before. "The Cardinal Newman Society is well-known for irresponsibly criticizing Catholic theologians and U.S. Catholic universities over a number of years," he said. "They use any ploy they can to attempt to discredit theologians whom they regard as unorthodox and universities which they regard as un-Catholic according to their ultra-conservative perspective." The Boston Globe is aware of the allegation. "We are looking into it," said Mary Jane Wilkinson, the newspaper's managing editor for administration. McNamara did not respond to Tribune calls. McBrien, a diocesan priest from Hartford, Conn., joined the Notre Dame faculty in 1980. He served as chairman of the theology department from 1980 to 1991. McBrien has written a weekly syndicated column since 1966 that is published in Catholic newspapers across the country. He frequently is interviewed in the media. Founded in 1993, the Cardinal Newman Society promotes conservative teachings at Catholic universities and colleges. Its campaigns include encouraging the public to contact Catholic institutions and urge them to eliminate "anti-Catholic" faculty and events. The society has long worked to silence McBrien and other liberal priests. On the society's Web site, McBrien is listed among 11 "heretics and dissidents" teaching anti-Catholic theology at Catholic colleges. "We have argued in the past that (McBrien) does not belong at Notre Dame. We do not believe he advocates positions that are appropriate for a Catholic institution," Reilly said. The society also leads a campaign urging Catholics to petition Catholic colleges, including Notre Dame, to ban performances of "The Vagina Monologues" on campus. "The Vagina Monologues" has been performed at Notre Dame for the past four years. The society claims it has successfully canceled more than 30 productions of "The Vagina Monologues" on Catholic campuses in recent years. Staff writer Margaret Fosmoe: mfosmoe@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6329